Skipping Santa

The Christmas Season is my favorite season of the entire year. As any of my former choral students can tell you, I LOVE Christmas music. I just love drinking from Christmas mugs, decorating the house, eating off of Christmas dishes, lighting candles that smell like Christmas, the combination of red and green, decorating Christmas cookies and most importantly, celebrating the birth of my precious Savior. I LOVE CHRISTMAS! But I don't love Santa. We don't treat Santa as a real being at our house and when I explain this decision to people I am often met with shock and a lot of questions. I guess I'm a sort of off my rocker for not allowing my kids to believe in something that isn't real, doesn't make wishes come true and doesn't actually bring presents. Bah-humbug, right?

Before our first little man was born, my husband and I made the decision to forgo all of the Santa Claus hoop-la. Does this mean anything with a depiction of Santa is banned from our home? No. Will we not allow our kids to take a picture with someone dressed up like Santa? No, if our boys want to take a picture with Santa, that is fine with me. However, we will not be teaching our kids that Santa is real. We will teach our boys about the real St. Nicholas and what he did because of his love for God; but not the belief and, dare I say it, deification of a bearded man in a red suit with flying reindeer.

I don't ever remember having a belief in Santa. A conversation with my mom on this very subject confirmed that memory for me. I never felt as though I missed out on anything. In fact, I remember feeling a little sorry for all of the kids whose parents were lying to them. What happens when you figure out the lie? Does Christmas lose a little of its sparkle? I've had people tell me that I'm losing a big bargaining tool with my kids. I would then ask, what is the bargaining chip when December 26th rolls around?

It seems that for the Christian, Santa presents more pitfalls than positives. For your consideration:

1. The traditional dialogue surrounding Santa is that he can see if you've been good, he knows your desires and he can be anywhere at any time. The truth is, only God Himself is capable of omniscience and omnipresence and I don't want my boys, even at a young age, thinking that anyone else has those capabilities. The Psalms, and really the entire Bible, are replete with this truth.  God alone does marvelous deeds!  (Psalm 86:10)

2. When we build Santa up to the point that our children are more excited about a mythological man who shows up once a year than they are about a God who was willing to come to earth as a helpless baby, walk this sod and die a humiliating death so we can be reconciled to a Holy God through no good and no merit of our own, we have allowed Santa to become an idol.  Exodus 20:3 tells us that we are to have no other gods.  None.  Not even if they are cute, part of a tradition, or make us feel magical. Now, not everyone builds Santa up to this level, but I will propose that if one defends the belief in Santa with more passion and voice than the defense of Jesus Christ, the line has become extremely fuzzy and that is a dangerous place to be.

3. Santa develops short-term, me-based goodness. I cringe every time I hear a person say, "You'd better be good or Santa won't come visit you!" Oh dear.  As this world becomes increasingly unkind, it seems that teaching children that they should be good because it's the right thing to do and sometimes doing the right thing may not come with a tangible reward at the end might prepare them for the long run.  In fact, as a Christian, our good works are for the sole glory of God, not so we get stuff.  (Matthew 5:16) This thought also teaches that a good deed is only good or valid if it is seen by someone else. But the best good deeds are those that are done sacrificially.

Am I going to sit Jackson and Bryant down and dogmatically explain that Santa isn't real? No.  Do I tell Jackson that Mickey Mouse isn't real? No. But I don't treat Mickey Mouse as though he is real and I certainly do not say things like, "Mickey brought you that" or "Be good, Mickey is watching!" Jackson is not upset with the fact that Mickey Mouse is pretend, kids love to pretend and use their imaginations. Knowing that Mickey is pretend hasn't left him with emotional scars nor has it taken anything away from his childhood. I would even posit that knowing Mickey, Santa, and Curious George are just pretend is actually quite freeing.  Truth makes us free.  There is no tension of maintaining a lie.  My kids don't question us and they are very excited about Christmas and celebrating the birth of a Savior.

As parents, we must make decisions that may not be popular or understood by everyone around us. By following through with our convictions we teach our children by action, not mere words. It is certainly not the intent of my heart to be sanctimonious about our convictions. I want to be abundantly clear that if you do choose to incorporate the belief of Santa into your holiday tradition that is certainly a choice you are free to make. It is important to graciously teach our children that not everyone has the same convictions and it is not our place to try and force our convictions upon others nor do our convictions make us any better than anyone else. If you choose to teach the belief of Santa to your children, that is your prerogative just as choosing to forgo Santa is mine.  But I will say that Jesus is enough.  He is enough.  The promise of a Savior fulfilled holds wonder unfathomable.

For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, Christ the Lord.  Luke 2:11